The present invention is directed to a water diverter that diverts water away from a building substructure in areas near portals, such as windows, doors, vents and the like.
Many buildings are clad on the exterior with siding to protect the building substructure from the environment and add aesthetic appeal to the building. In practice, multiple siding panels are locked together to cover a building substructure, such as a wall. Where portal structures, for example, windows, doors, vents and the like are included in a wall, the siding panels are cut to custom fit around the portal structures. However, no matter how precisely the siding panel is cut around the bottom of the portal structure, water from rain and the like, inevitably flows down along the vertical edges of the portal structure, between the bottom of the portal structure and the cut siding panel, and behind the siding. Accordingly, water damage to the building substructure near or below the bottom of the portal structure occurs. If a significant amount of water leaks around the portal structures, the adjacent substructure may decay or water may leak directly into the building. Furthermore, in colder climates, water may accumulate behind the siding and freeze, thereby causing it to separate from the building wall.
In an attempt to prevent water from leaking under siding, siding installers apply caulk in the gap defined between the bottom of the portal structure and the siding panel. The caulk seals the gap to prevent water leakage. However, caulk deteriorates or tears due to the contraction and expansion of the siding with temperature change. Thus, many times caulk does not eliminate water leaks around portal structures.
Another attempt to solve water leakage around portal structures is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,310 to Kim. Kim shows a device including an upper portion having perpendicular left and right side surfaces that fit in a corner of a window frame. In a lower portion of the device, the two surfaces are curved and tapered to form a deflecting portion that deflects water outwardly, away from the window frame. Although the device in Kim diverts some water, it suffers several shortcomings. First, the upper portion of the Kim device may act as a dam, deflecting water back, behind the siding adjacent the device. Second, if not positioned properly relative to the siding and the window, the lower portion also may deflect water outwardly, but directly under the siding adjacent the bottom of the window frame.